Former Oakland player Drew Valentine returns to face former team with Michigan State

Oakland University Athletic Director Tracy Huth, right, greets former player Drew Valentine, who is now a graduate manager for the Michigan State basketball team. Photo taken on Saturday, December 14, 2013, at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich. (Special to The Oakland Press/Jose Juarez)

AUBURN HILLS >> After four years in black and gold, former Oakland captain Drew Valentine stepped off the Michigan State team bus inside the loading area of The Palace of Auburn Hills Saturday wearing a green-and-white checkered shirt with his suit.

Valentine, who turned down offers to play overseas, as countless former Oakland players have done in years past, is working as a graduate manager for Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans. The gig will no doubt help him reach his ultimate goal of coaching basketball, but it also reunites him with brother and MSU sophomore Denzel Valentine.

The son of mid-1980s Michigan State standout and former Lansing Sexton coach Carlton Valentine, Drew Valentine has long known his destiny.

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“College coaches are always asking you what you want to do and that’s what I wanted do the whole time,” he said. “One of the reasons I have so much respect for the game is because of my dad. I learned everything about the game from him.”

Valentine, who played the second-most games of any Oakland player ever (136), was present as his No. 5 Spartans survived yet another scare from the Golden Grizzlies.

His potential isn’t lost on former mentor, Oakland coach Greg Kampe, who said he recommended his former three-year starter to Izzo.

“I want to hire him,” Kampe said. “He’s going to be a superstar coach one day.

“The only bad thing about Drew being on that bench, I knew he was going to know what I meant when I called ‘bunch-out.’ “

Valentine graduated with his communication degree in May and is now completing graduate classes in East Lansing, seeking a master’s in Kinesiology with an emphasis on athletic administration and coaching.

The choice to turn down a chance to earn money playing professional basketball was made easier for Valentine, as the injuries he had suffered in his playing days at Oakland and Sexton continued to take their toll. He played much of his senior season while injured and had knee and hand surgeries immediately after graduation.

Valentine and former Oakland roommate Travis Bader caught up, taking in Friday’s Pistons game together. Saturday, they were on opposite sides of the scorer’s table. Bader admitted it was tough to see his best friend in the opposition’s colors.

“I haven’t seen him in a while and we were just talking a little bit of stuff,” Bader said. “I gave him a little look when I hit a shot in the game,” Bader said.

“It’s weird me being out there on the court and him being on the bench in a suit and tie.”

Valentine has been able to watch his friend from afar as he approaches the national 3-point shooting record. Valentine recalls a time when neither of them garnered high expectations.

Football scholarship offers dried up for Valentine after he injured his knee his senior year. Bader’s only Division I scholarship came from Oakland, which stuck with both recruits through until the end of their prep careers.

“Me and him weren’t expected to be able to do what we did,” Valentine said. “He was always in the gym getting up shots and in the weight room. I’m really happy for him.”

Bader took a redshirt year, while Valentine jumped into a Golden Grizzlies lineup primed for the NCAA tournament, throwing off their trajectory by a year, making Saturday’s possible.

When Valentine left Oakland, his direction also departed, leaving the Golden Grizzlies without their omnipresent, vocal leader. Kampe has lamented the loss at times this season, calling his team’s leadership, including Bader, “a work in progress.” Bader confessed he also misses Valentine’s guidance.

“I’m not a born leader, so it’s hard to try and fit that role,” Bader said. “(Valentine) did a great job. I’m trying to feed off things he did in the past and things I’ve learned from him.”

From the opposition sidelines, Valentine was also enjoyed the scouting process, saying he and his Oakland teammates were always wondering what opposing coaches were saying about them.

“It’s gratifying to see how much respect Michigan State has for Oakland,” he said.

The Golden Grizzlies earned it Saturday, again taking the highly-ranked Spartans to the wire.

The new position with Michigan State has also helped Drew reconnect with Denzel in a way that was not possible while both were playing.

“We’ve been extremely close all of our lives,” Drew Valentine said.

The Valentines, who only played one collegiate game against each other, last season when Oakland visited Breslin Center. They only got to play a few games of an injury-shortened freshman season for Denzel Valentine during Drew’s senior year at Sexton.

“I haven’t been in the same place as him in four years. He’s his own man now,” Drew Valentine said.

Valentine also notices similarities between his former coach, Kampe, and his current boss, Izzo.

“They’re both extremely passionate, to say the least,” Valentine said. “They’re both great basketball minds.

“I’m extremely lucky to learn from both of them.”

It’s the same type of basketball IQ Kampe said he sees in Valentine, which begs the question when could Valentine begin strolling the sidelines holding the reins of his next team?

About the Author

Paul Kampe covers the Rochester area for The Oakland Press. He has also worked as online coordinator, a page designer/copy editor and preps sports writer. Reach the author at paul.kampe@oakpress.com
or follow Paul on Twitter: @PaulKampe.